Eight Colliding Forces of 2012

I stumbled across this today, which was originally posted on December 2nd of 2011, and found it to be extremely interesting. It covers quite a few
things though, and I didn't know what forum would be the most appropriate

Anyhow...

I thought I would share this with my fellow ATS’rs, as it contains a lot of pretty good info, even if it’s a lot of things we already know about.
However, it’s pretty spot on and precise (IMO) and neatly puts quite a few issues in one brief article…and it’s not all “fringy” like some
other things that tend to get posted. The author, a “futurist”, has a pretty impressive resume, which can be found
here.

We are witnessing a brain drain as employees leave their physical-world jobs in transportation, manufacturing, and service industries to move
into positions in digital companies because that is where all the excitement is. Even though we run the very real risk of becoming a digitally
distorted society, giving too much power to geeks and nerds, it will be a refreshing move away from the banking overlords of the past decade.

2.) Student Debt Crisis – Online Education Vs. the Sage on Stage

There has always been competing forces within education, but the looming student debt crisis is beginning to paint colleges with the same brush as
Wall Street. And the belt-tightening ahead for colleges will be a precursor to reining in costs in K-12. As the austerity movement in Washington
begins to settle in, education, like virtually every other profession, will be asked to do more for less.

3.) Health Food Vs. Brain Amping

2012 will be the year when a wide range of new self-manipulating products and drinks will be launched involving everything from
“instant-strong” to “instant-sleep” to “instant-attraction” to “instant brains.” Look for electronic devices to be added to the mix
that push the envelope even further.

4.) The Awareness Revolution – Big Brother Vs. Big Citizenry

Not only are we increasingly aware of the world around us, we are able to focus the frequency of our awareness to precisely the topics and
industries we are most interested in.
Those who are uncomfortable with this lifting of the veils tend to be the guardians of the secrets, people entrusted with protecting company assets,
government secrets, and the old guard who firmly believes that ignorance is bliss.

5.) Crowdfunding Vs. Banking Industry

Since startups have become an infinitely small portion of most bank’s loan portfolios, and the SBA who guarantees (primarily asset-based) loans
for startups has become increasingly out of touch with the lean thinking and digital nature of new business formation, it wouldn’t appear to be much
of a banking conflict on the surface.

6.) The Transparency Wars – Privacy Vs. Convenience

People gathering the data are doing so for positive reasons, to make our lives more convenient. But there is a downside to this level of
exposure.

7.) The Retirement Battleground – The Working Poor Vs. the Retiring Rich

Americans over 65 will more than double, from 34.8 million in 2000 (12%) to 70.3 million in 2030 (20%). At the same time, the next generation of
retirees are destined to become the healthiest, longest-lived, best educated, most affluent in all history.

8.) Healthcare Wars

Five driving forces will cause healthcare to go into a death spiral in 2012 – the new healthcare legislation and forces of transparency
combined with the convergence of smartphones, peripherals, and apps.

This guy has some pretty cool thoughts, and his webpage has some other pretty interesting articles.

Do you agree with this guy’s prediction? Is he, in your opinion, overstating some things while downplaying others?

it was an interesting perspective to take in, and i'm very excited to see the effects of said conflicts. i am most interested in the crowdfunding vs
bank loans, the virtual schools vs real schools, and the self-diagnosis vs. doctor diagnosis. those will by all means have the largest impact on
society as a whole.

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